Month: November 2013

Whenever people ask me what to splurge on for a girl during the holidays I always hint at a beautiful piece of jewelry and here’s why: while most girls will splurge on the occasional shoe or bag, they don’t really pony up when it comes to buying themselves jewelry.

I recommend going one of two routes (or both!):

1. Staples. A beautiful piece she can wear every single day is always a win. Think rings, a pair of studs or a delicate diamond necklace (like any of the Jennifer Meyer, Ileana Makri or Ana Khouripieces pieces here).

2. Statement. Something flossy and bossy that she can wear for special occasions will make her feel like a million bucks (how good is this link necklace by Sidney Garber?).

To explore the idea further, I teamed up with LoveGold and Barneys New York to create a gold gift guide with some of my favorite gorgeous pieces that work for all sorts of different women. Chhhhhheck it out here.

Three years ago I decided that I’d no longer be the girl rushing to buy a bottle of wine on my way to a holiday party – it was too stressful, too last minute and left me feeling a bit inconsiderate. My solution? I started stocking hostess gifts to have on hand for the holiday party craze.

This year I found some really great finds on Neiman Marcus Last Call who has a variety of price-points as low as $12 for a fragrant candle or $14 for a crystal votive candleholder to high-luxe gifts at great values like cashmere, silk ties, designer jewelry boxed sets, and more.

Between the four-hour roasted turkey and the in-laws, you’ve got enough on your Thanksgiving plate to deal with, without the stress of creating statement-making tabletop décor. To take some of the question marks out of your planning, we at LEAF teamed up with Domaine and Peggy North of Fire and Creme to bring you an easy-to-follow video to a color-packed holiday centerpiece.

Who doesn’t love chocolate covered pretzels? In this LEAF video, I’m showing you how to make them, 3 ways. They’re great this Thanksgiving for hosting a party, bringing to a party, or packaging up as a cute gift.

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange pretzels.
2. Melt chocolate in 30 second intervals until smooth (carefully not to burn!).
3. Drizzle dark & top with fleur de sel.
4. Drizzle milk & top with chopped & sliced almonds.
5. Drizzle white and top with sprinkles.
6. Serve warm or let harden for 1 hour.